Founded in 1884, the Pitt Rivers Museum houses over 500,000 objects, photographs and manuscripts from across the world and throughout human history. Its distinctive approach to curation — arranging objects by type rather than by time or place — offers fascinating insights into how cultures across the globe have addressed the challenges of life, creativity and belief.

Our pupils began their visit with a workshop led by the resident Art Teacher at the museum, who offered valuable guidance on sketchbook use, planning and layout, and on how to capture and categorise objects effectively. They then explored all three floors of the museum, photographing and sketching the artefacts that intrigued them most.

Year 8 pupil Daniel reflected:
“I learnt about African culture through some of the artefacts, especially those from the Benin Empire in Nigeria, where my family is from. It was amazing to see the weaponry and objects used by my ancestors and to understand more about their history.”

In the afternoon, pupils visited the Natural History Museum, where they were encouraged to experiment with black paper sketching using white pencils, producing striking drawings of fossils, minerals and animals. They also created collage artwork inspired by the museum’s collections.

Head of Art, Paul Spurrett, said:
“The trip gave our pupils the chance to connect with art, history and culture in a very tangible way. From sketching artefacts to reflecting on their significance, it was fantastic to see Year 8 so engaged and curious. Experiences like this encourage both artistic skill and a deeper awareness of the world around us.”

The visit offered a rich blend of cultural history and hands-on creativity, leaving pupils inspired and with plenty of material to feed into their art practice back at school.